Commonwealth Games: Mel Woods evades crashes and pressure to clinch another gold medal for Scotland

If she was feeling the pressure of winning Scotland's second track and field title, she probably didn't need to hear the hype from the stadium announcer before the T54 1500m final.

Her double bronze at last year's IPC World Championships in New Delhi made her the one to beat – and her tactic of storming off the start paid double dividends after a crash early in the race took out half the field.

"More than anything, it feels like a relief. I just feel so happy," said Woods. "I came in here with a different kind of pressure on my shoulders. People were looking at me as the fastest, and that comes with a different race plan. I'm really happy I was able to go out there, stick to that plan, and it paid off.

"It's a shame there was a crash behind because you'd always rather everyone finished safely and had a fair race. It's difficult because you don't get to see what shape everyone else is in, but I was just happy I stayed out of trouble.

"In a slow, tactical race everyone gets into it, and being the strongest athlete on paper, I wanted to make it a hard race from the start. If I was going to win it, I wanted everyone to suffer – myself included. I wanted to go out hard at a pace I knew I could build from.

"We travel all over the world, but to do it at home with my friends and family in the crowd is just class. It's right up there among the best moments of my career so far. I'll definitely bank this one."

Woods finished fourth four years ago in Birmingham but will now have a chance to double up in the 400m later this week. Organisers had hoped this race would be a home head-to-head between Woods and Sammi Kinghorn, though the Paralympic 100m champion is absent after announcing earlier this year that she was pregnant with her first child.

"I think I've just got stronger. Four years ago, I deserved fourth," she added. "I wasn't really in the mix for a medal – I got dropped with about 200 metres to go, and that was where I was at.

"Since then it's been four years of getting stronger in the chair, getting faster overall, and gaining experience. Championship racing is completely different from just chasing times on the track. That experience gave me the confidence to lead from the front and go for the win."

While many of the athletes competing here can immediately reset their sights on next month's European Championships, opportunities for Woods can be few and far between.

There hasn't been a continental championships for para athletes since 2021, with no host forthcoming for the event scheduled for this year.

"It's frustrating, but having a home championships here was a huge target for me,” added Woods.

"That was my main focus. I'll use the shape I'm in now to do more races over the rest of the summer and some road racing as well because that really helps build my strength for the track. It's a good opportunity to do that without it affecting the championship season."